"Palais de Steff" has arrived and is a work in progress.
So come on in...grab a cocktail... or the nearest available houseboy and make yourself at home...feel free to wander about or just plonk yourself down and stay a while...
Princess says "Hello and Welcome"!...

Saturday, December 24, 2016

It's been a big year...

Merry Christmas Dhaaarlings...

The Empress and I would like to wish you all the very best for the

Christmas Season...

It seems to have been a very difficult year for both of us with one thing and another.

The Empresses health remains fine apart from the odd bloodpressure anomally which is rectified with a review of he medications.

As for me i'm still struggling with Chronic Fatigue following a bout of Glandular Fever and recurrent chest infections. But I'm slowly comming good.

Me being unwell as you might imagine gets the Empress worried too...

On good days we are able to lose ourselves in the garden and for either of us on not so good days... getting out of bed is not the priority...

Finally last month I managed to meet with the theatre group director and after a four hour discussion have come to the decision that i will be taking an indefinite break from costuming... I figure that the stress and lack of support and the inability of the director to address any of my concerns over several years now is not worth persisting with. It is not good for my health and wellbeing.

So i'll be taking at least a 12 month break... Sadly she still doesn't get it and recently asked if I'd like to make just one or two specific costumes for the show next year!!!

Sweetcorn and Cucumbers

Tomato and Beans

In other news the Vegie patch is coming along nicely, harvesting beans, sno peas, Silverbeet, Lettuce, Zucchini and a variety of herbs.

Fresh Peppermint Tea Anyone?

We have had some lovely pots of Peppemint tea made fresh from the herb patch.

The tomato plants are thriving along with the sweetcorn and cucumbers but are nowhere near harvesting as the days remain comparitivly cool... we need some extended sunshine to get them to colour up.Yesterday i planted up a "New Bath"... (one of two recently procured from the tip recycleing shop for the bargain price of $20 a piece)... of Asian Greens, including Bok choy, Chinese cabbage so It might be a week or two before I can whip up a little stir-fry.I've also put in two different types of Aubergine/Egg plant. I've never grown them before so am interested to see how they go...In another Plant Nursery hunt.... the most recent of many over past months... i finally had a win!As you probably know... My most favourite rose of all time finally succumbed to the dreaded "Black Spot" virus. I've been searching every nursery that i manage to find in the hope that they might have a replacement and until yesterday i'd not had much luck at all...But there hidden back behind a clumped arrangement of Standard and bush roses was the solitary beauty i'd been seatching for...A climbing "Black Boy" rose My heart skipped a beat... Then i noticed that the poor little darling had several spotty black and yellow leaves...My heart sank... Bloody black Spot!On making enquiries with the sales staff as to wether they would discount for a diseased plant... I got the reply from the spotty teenager behind the counter of... "No... cos... all our roses have got a disease Mister" I asked to speak to someone more senoir so the manager was called over. I said... "Your young salesman here just told me that i couldn't get a discount on this rose that has "black spot" as he tells me that all your roses have diseases... I just wanted to check that this information was correct"... The manager looked quite horrified and whilst looking daggers at the young sales assistant... appologised profusely and immediately knocked $10 off the price... I thanked him for his business accumen.This reduced it to almost half price and i figured that if i got the little darling home and gave it a good treatment it might just survive it's ordeal....And so might I!So there you have it... I've a new rose for Christmas and it has been sprayed and fed and watered....One of those bed bases looks like it may just come in very handy afterall..Merry Christmas eveyone and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, the Empress, Spot, and the entire family.

Congratulations on your wonderful rose bargain! And what a marvelous garden you have! It is so beautiful and lush and vibrant! Divine and Delicious! I am so happy to hear that you are taking a break to take care of yourself. You can't take care of the people who depend on you if you can't take care of yourself first. Good on you for taking steps to take care of your health and well being.

Thank you for your friendship and support. Thank you for sharing your talents and wonderful fotos of your garden of Eden. And thank you for being a magnificent, spectacular, and enchanting human being! You make our lives more charming because you are wonderful.

Yes, health should come first.certainly far ahead of demanding directors!Good luck with Black Boy.Pick off every spotty leaf, but DON'T ever compost them.Consign them to the garbage bin.I have a similar struggle with Abraham Darby, but it's worth it!Good luck and good wishes for 2017

Have a wonderful Christmas, Ms Prinny, and wishing you health and happiness in the new year..... but first, could you just run me up a fairy dress and a pair of curtains.... won't take you long....All the best, m'dear!Sxxxxxx

I should think all the extra beds and baths in your garden will keep you more than busy enough not to miss the costumerie (too much), Princess. And what a find with that "Black Boy" - under your ministrations, I'm sure it'll pull through.Now, I think I'll have a cup of mint tea while perched among the petunias!

Have a marvellous Mid-Winter (in the sun - most bizarre), and good health to you and The Empress. And Spot!

I always love seeing your Christmas bird!!!! And thank heaven your taking time. I was worried about all the work and costuming you were doing. Well, Happy Tidings and Merry Christmas to you dear Prinny🎄🎄🎄

Your garden is spectacular and soothing, Princess. I get such pleasure wandering about your wonderfully verdant world while winter does its dance in my neck of the woods. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photographs, and your warmth and humour.